In the related art, a card edge substrate and the like is known in which a terminal is formed at an end of the substrate to directly connect the substrate and a connector, whereby the substrate on which an electronic circuit and the like are printed is connected to electronic equipment and the like. A card edge connector, for example, is also known in which the above-described card edge substrate and a counterpart female connector are combined. In a female connector used in such a card edge connector, an opening to which the card edge substrate and the like are connected is formed to have a width corresponding to the width of the substrate.
For example, JP-A-2000-003759 discloses an invention of a connection structure of a card edge connector. In the description, the card edge connector includes a connector housing and a terminal fitting, the card edge connector is connected with a printed-circuit board, and the connector housing has at its front face an insertion space that opens in a horizontal slit shape and has a plurality of cavities that open at a ceiling surface of the insertion space.
However, with an insertion space that opens in a horizontal slit shape and is connected to a wide printed-circuit board formed in the card edge connector, opening deformation may occur from the opening to the insertion space. Such a deformation may result in reduction in the contact pressure between the terminal fitting and the printed-circuit board. Such a deformation is substantial when the card edge connector is in a high-temperature state.
Therefore, JP-A-2008-098063 discloses a card edge connector intended to prevent opening deformation. The card edge connector disclosed in JP-A-2008-098063 includes: a connector housing having a substrate insertion space to which an end of the substrate is inserted and that is mounted so as to sandwich the end of the substrate with both surfaces of the substrate; a plurality of terminal fittings arranged in the connector housing so as to face both surfaces of the substrate and having a contacting part that elastically contacts with a conducting path of the substrate; and an opening prevention member mounted to a position corresponding to the terminal fitting around an outer periphery of the connector housing.
In the card edge connector disclosed in JP-A-2008-098063 with such a configuration, the conducting path of the substrate and the contacting part of the terminal fitting elastically contact with each other when the substrate enters the substrate insertion space, and the terminal fitting receives force in a direction away from both surfaces of the substrate. The opening prevention member prevents opening deformation of the connector housing in a direction away from both surfaces of the substrate via the terminal fitting, so that the contact pressure between the contacting part and the conducting path can be secured.
In the card edge connector, a plurality of contact terminals are provided in the housing included in the card edge connector. These contact terminals are fixed in the housing so as not to move in order to be accurately connected to a terminal formed on the card edge substrate.
For example, in the card edge connector disclosed in JP-A-2008-098063, when the terminal fitting is inserted from behind into a cavity, a part of a body anterior to a step part is fitted between a receiving wall and a ceiling wall, and a front end of the body is stopped by a front-stop restriction wall. When the terminal fitting is thus inserted to a normal position as described above, the terminal fitting is prevented from falling off backward by a double-acting deflection locking piece and an engaging part that engages with a lance hole.
In the card edge connector disclosed in JP-A-2008-098063, a metal ring is mounted as an opening prevention member at a position corresponding to the terminal fitting around the outer periphery of the connector housing. Mounting the metal ring prevents opening deformation of the connector housing. However, there is a problem that providing the metal ring increases the whole number of parts and production cost. In addition, a mounting part should be formed in the connector housing for mounting the metal ring, and the metal ring should be formed in consideration of a shape of the mounting part and the connector housing. This complicates the design and results in high production costs.
Since the outer periphery of the connector housing is held by the metal ring, a width of the substrate insertion space is increased when a wide printed-circuit board is inserted, so that the metal ring should be correspondingly formed to have a large width. The strength of a central part of the metal ring is accordingly reduced and the opening deformation of the connector housing cannot be sufficiently prevented, so that the contact pressure with respect to the contact may be reduced.
In addition, in the card edge connector disclosed in JP-A-2008-098063, when the printed-circuit board is inserted into the connector housing of a metal terminal, the metal terminal receives pressure from one side. The metal terminal continuously receiving the pressure may move away from the printed-circuit board in the cavity. This may cause a risk that it is difficult to obtain sufficient contact pressure due to the metal terminal moving away from the printed-circuit board and a trouble may occur in a connection.
There is also a risk that the cavity itself may deform by receiving pressure from the metal terminal. The metal terminal may move in the cavity away from the printed-circuit board, so that it is difficult to obtain sufficient contact pressure. Therefore, it is difficult to prevent the metal terminal from moving in the cavity only by fitting the metal terminal in the cavity or preventing the metal terminal from falling off.